Nick Campbell Eyewear Lookbook & Interview
Meet the cool new local label.
Nick Campbell Eyewear is a brand new local label. Only in its first season, the sunglasses are already stocked in The Corner Shop, which is a fairly big accolade. The debut trans-seasonal 2012 range is a capsule collection offering two styles ? 'Stringer' and 'Chloe' ? but in different colours including charcoal, tortoise, milky-white acetate, and cookies and cream (which looks exactly as good as it sounds). The sunglasses are handmade, unisex and perfect for infusing a bit of suave into your wardrobe without looking like you're trying too hard. We caught up with the Sydney-based designer in a media-first.
Ingrid Kesa: What's your background in fashion?
Nick Campbell: I come from a background in business but I've always loved fashion. My career in the fashion industry really starts here with my sunglasses. I have a background as an artist and a photographer, so design is something I've fallen in love with pretty quickly. As my obsession for eyewear grew, I just wanted to make the sunglasses I've always wanted to find.
How does your label bridge a gap in the local eyewear market?
I think anyone who really hunts for good sunglasses would agree that despite a large number of really great ideas, it's hard to find wearable frames. I've started out by addressing what I see as the most basic need in the gap, the need for designs that you can feel comfortable wearing, and though they may be striking, they don't shout. That's the narrow line I'm walking walking with my first range. With my next range it gets even more narrow ? I'm going to see if I can push some more unique aesthetics without damaging wearability.
How many pairs of shades do you own? What is your favourite pair of sunglasses from your own collection?
It's heartbreaking to think of the number that have gone missing over the years, but now the collection stands at about 130. My favourite frame is a recent acquisition, a pair of Italian World War 2 era Kappa sports goggles. They're a beautiful example of Bauhaus principles, and one of the very few examples of how those principals can be applied to fashion. But what I really love about them is how absurdly outlandish they are in their design, but at the same time how they would look just as good on a German rocket scientist as they would look on Dickie Greenleaf, or Beethoven. I love them so much I've just completed an homage to them, which will feature in the next range.
If you could put anyone in your sunnies (from now or history) who would it be?
The history of sunglasses began thousands of years ago when an unknown eskimo carved a slit in a seal bone and strapped it to his face to cut the blinding glare of the snow. I'd love to put him in a pair of my frames. He started it all.
Ingrid Kesa
